Al-Qaeda Targets Lethal Disease Research Facility on NY Island - International Analyst Network

Al-Qaeda Targets Lethal Disease Research Facility on NY Island - International Analyst Network: "In a recent op-ed piece for the Hartford Courant, Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal outlined some of the dangers associated with the “monstrous risks” of the Plum Island facility — should it be compromised. Among them:

* The proximity of Plum Island to New York City, one of the nation’s most populous cities and a repeated target of terrorist attacks.

* The fact that 20 million people live within 50 miles of Long Island Sound.

* The proximity of Plum Island to a nuclear submarine base, a nuclear submarine construction facility, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and a major nuclear power plant.

* The special security risks of protecting and providing emergency response services to an island.

A final decision about whether or not to expand the current island facility or move it will be reached before the administration change on January 20, 2009. Until then, the debate as to where the facility should go continues."